Apparatus for counting the axles of a train



Oct. 9, 1934. LA 1,976,369

APPARATUS FOR COUNTING THE AXLES OF A TRAIN Filed Aug. 20, 1951lnven/on:

Patented Oct. 9, 193 4 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR COUNTING THE AXLES OFA TEAM Kurt Platte, Berlin-Steglitz, Germany, assignmto VereinigteEisenbahn-Signalwerke, Gesell schaft mit'beschrankter Haftung,Siemensstadt, near Berlin, Germany, acorporation of Germany ApplicationAugust 20,

1931, Serial No. 558,313

In Germany March 10, 1931 6 Claims.

The invention relates to apparatus for counting the axles of a train,and more particularly to such apparatus operating in conjunction with.rail contacts. I

At the point of a railroad track where it is desired to count the numberof axles of a train, but where no storage battery is available or atleast no battery of sufficiently high voltage, it was hitherto onlypossible to operate the count- 10 ing mechanism by the application ofinductive direct current impulse systems in conjunction with drybatteries of small capacity. Assumption for dry batteries which shouldoperate continuously during many months without any attendance andsupply comparatively large outputs is that the load should'be applied inrushes only and should not continue for a considerable time.

In the inductive direct current axle counting system this loadingin'rushes is ensured. It is however in the nature of this system ofcounting axles-that below a minimum speed counting is no longer possiblebecause the impulse is too small, If the minimum speed is not ensured,it was therefore necessary to employ a mechan-- 5 ical contact. Thishas, however, the disadvantage that in the apparatus known heretofore aloading of the battery in rushes only was not ensured under allcircumstances, because if an axle would stop on the contact for aconsiderable time and would keep the contact closed the 'dry batterywould be continuously loaded.

The object of the invention is to provide means which ensure that thedry batteryfis loaded in rushes or intermittently even when a contact is'35 operated for a considerable time.

This end in view is according-to this invention attained by charging acondenser across the counting mechanism when the contact is closed.A'further advantage resides in the fact that no 40 special relay isrequired so that the load on the ing the condenser through a contact andfor discharging it through the counter, and Fig. 3 represents anarrangement similar to Fig. 2 with the additionof means for prolongingthe contact duration.

as 'Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing it will be seen that two contactsA and B are located along the track so that the wheels pass first overone and then over the other. If an axle on passing from the left to theright closes the contact A the charging current of the condenser Climited by the resistance R2 operates the counting mechanism Z. As soonas the condenser is charged the armature of the mechanism Z returns intoits inoperative position, independent of the fact whether the contact Ahas been released again or is still kept closed by the axle. Onproceeding along the track the axle closes the contact B by which thecondenser C is discharged across the resistance R1 and made ready forcounting the next axle. 1

This device is equally applicable to the opposite direction of travel ofthe train without any modification as it is immaterial for the servicewhether the discharge of the condenser C is effected by the same axle asthe charge or by the next following axle.

The closest spacing between the contacts A and B is determined by theconsideration that both contacts A and B must never be. closedsimultaneously, the widest spacing by the consideration that the contactB must be released by the preceding axle before the next following axlehas reached the contact A.

Further embodiments of the invention are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 ofthe drawing, the condenser being here connected in parallel to thecounting mechanism and a plurality of contacts being provided.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing 1-, 2, 3, 4 are rail contacts whichare located alongthe rail in the order stated. When the train passesalong the track contact 1 is first closed and the condenser C connectedto the source of current E and thus charged. If an axle would stop onthis contact, the condenser would make use of the source of current tothe extent only to which it loses its charge due to leakage. Undernormal conditions this loss is very small so that it can be neglected.If, on the other hand thetrain would only stop immediately after thecontact 1 has been released, the condenser might gradually lose itscharge by leakage and, when the train proceeds and closes the contact.3, be no longerable to discharge itself across the counting mechanism Z.To prevent this a contact 2 is provided directly behind the contact 1,and is closed by the train axle as soonas the contact 1 is opened. Thecondenser is thereby connected by way of the large resistance R to thesource of current E in such a way that the small leakage losses of thespeeds.

condenser can continuously be made good again across theresistance. Whenthe axle then passes on to the contact 3, the condenser now dischargesitself across the contact 3 and the counting mechanism Z. The contacts 1and 2 may be spaced so that they slightly overlap, in order to maintainthe full charge of the condenser, but it is immaterial whether duringthe first encounter of the contact 3 by an axle, also the contact 2 isstill closed for a moment, since the resistance R prevents appreciableamounts of current from flowing to the counting mechanism Z directlyfrom the source of current E.

The counting mechanism Z is therefore mainly operated only by thedischarge of the condenser. Matters would be different if the contact 2and the resistance R were not interposed. On simultaneous operation ofthe contacts 1 and 3 the counting mechanism Z would then be directlyconnected to the source of current. The contact 4 located behind thecontact 3 in the direction of operation has the task of permitting thecounting of the axles in one (forward) direction only. If, for instance,an axle runs on the contact 1 or 2, stops there without discharging thecharged condenser C through the counting mechanism Z by closing thecontact 3, and then runs ofi contact 1 again in the reverse direction oftravel, the next axle arriving in the reverse direction would dischargethe still charged condenser across the counting mechanism Z on passingover the con-' tact 3 and thus advance the counting mechanism and countthe axle. The contact 4 prevents this by being operated by the reverserunning next axle, Whichencounters this contactahead of the contact 3,whereby condenser C is short-circuited and discharged before contact 3is operated. It is desirable, however, that the contact springs 3 and 4be spaced sufficiently close so that their closing time-slightlyoverlaps, so as to make sure that the counter will not operate.

In the event of high speeds the charging and also discharging period ofthe condenser across the counting mechanism Z is preferably lengthened.This may be efiected by means of the well known six-spring wheelcontactor arrangement, as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 of thedrawing which, so far as the principle of contact connection isconcerned, is similar to Fig. 2.

In this case the condenser C is connected to the source of current E byway of contact 1 as well as by way of contact 11. The same as in Fig. 2,the charging of condenser C is maintained by way ofclosed contact 2 andof resistance R of the condenser through thegcounting mechanism Z isefiected by closing the contacts 3 and 33, and the condenser isshort-circuited here likewise for the purpose shown in Fig. 2 by meansof the contact 4. According to the spacing and construction of thecontacts 1 and 11 respectively, and 3 and 33 respectively, the chargingand discharging periods of the condenser may be lengthened as desired,to adapt the arrangement for the particular high The axle countingapparatus or'system described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 isdependent on the direction of travel of the train, i. e. with thearrangements shown in these figures an axle can only be counted in thedirection of travel from the left to right. On tracks over which trainstravel in both directions the incoming and outgoing axles may reliablyand easily be counted by providing for the modification Figs. 2 and 3,which operate for travel from left to right, .a sec- 0nd, identicalgroup of contacts which operate direction of tra n travel, forpreventing discharge current from flowing through said counter in casefor opposite direction of travel. Such a second group of contacts may beprovided on the other track rail and may operate in conjunction with asecond axle counting mechanism. It is, however, also possible toaccommodate both contact groups in a four (or more) spring wheelcontactor, each of the springs of which is arranged to operate twocontacts located separate from each other.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an arrangement for counting the axles of a train in combinationwith a plurality of train wheel-operated contact elements spaced alongthe track, a current source and an electrically operable counter andcircuit connections for aforesaid elements, of a condenser and acharging circuit therefor including one of said contacts for chargingthe condenser from said sourse only while a wheel closes said contact,and a discharge circuit for said condenser including another of saidcontacts, for discharging the condenser when a wheel closes said lattercontact, said counter being located in one of said condenser circuits,so that it is operable by condenser currents only.

2. In an arrangement for counting the axles of a train in combinationwith a plurality of train wheel-operated contact elements spaced alongthe track, a current source and an electrically operable counter andcircuit connections for aforesaid 1 5 elements, of a condenser and acharging circuit therefor including one of said contacts for chargingthe condenser from said source only while a wheel closes said contact,and a discharge circuit for said condenser including another of saidcontacts, for discharging the condenser when a wheel closes said lattercontact, said counter being located in said discharge circuit, so thatit is operable by condenser discharge currents only.

3. In an arrangement for counting the axles of a train in combinationwith a plurality of train wheel-operated contact elements spaced alongthe track, a current source and an electrically operable counter andcircuit connections for aforesaid elements, of a condenser and acharging circuit therefor including one of said contacts for chargingthe condenser from said source when a wheel closes said contact, and adischarge circuit for said condenser including another of said contacts,for discharging the condenser when a wheel closes said latter contact,said counter being located in said discharge circuit, and a thirdcircuit for short-circuiting said condenser, and including a third ofsaid contacts spaced beyond the second contact in the normal a trainpasses over the contacts in the opposite direction.

4. In an arrangement for counting the axles of a train in combinationwith a plurality of train wheel-operated contact elements spaced alongthe I track, a current source and an electrically operadjacent to saidsecond contact in 'the normal train travel direction and closed by thewheel subsequent to the second contact for operating the counter.

5, In an arrangement for counting the axles of a train incombinationwith a plurality of train wheel-operated contact elementsspaced along the track, a current source and an electrically operablecounter and circuit connections for aforesaid elements, of a condenserand a charging circuit therefor including one of said contacts forcharging the condenser from said source when a wheel closes saidcontact, a shunt circuit for said contact including a second contactspaced adjacent to the first-mentioned contact in the normal traintravel direction, and closed by the wheel subsequent to the closing ofthe first contact for maintaining the condenser charge from said source,a discharge circuit for said condenser including said counter and athird contact next adjacent to said second contact in the normal traintravel direction and closed by the wheel subsequent to the secondcontact for operating the counter, and a fourth contact spaced adjacentto the third contact in the train travel direction,

and connected directly to said condenser for short-circuitlng it when atrain passes over said contact in the opposite direction to preventdischarge current from flowing through said counter.

6. In an arrangement for counting the axles of a train in combinationwith a plurality of train wheel-operated contact elements spaced alongthe track, a current source and an electrically operable counter andcircuit connections for aforesaid elements, of a condenser and acharging circuit therefor including one of said contacts for chargingthe condenser, from said source when a wheel closes said contact, ashuntcircuit for said contact including a second contact spaced adjacent tothe first-mentioned contact in the normal train travel direction, andclosed by the wheel subsequent to the closing of the first contact formaintaining the condenser charge from said source, a discharge circuitfor said condenser including said counter and a third contact nextadjacent to said second contact in the normal train travel direction andclosed by the wheel subsequent to the second contact for operating thecounter, each of said charging and discharging contacts having ahold-over contact spaced next adjacent to it in the normal direction oftrain travel, and connected in shunt to its pertaining main contact; forprolonging the duration of the condenser charge and discharge in case ofhigh train speeds.

KURT PLA'I'I'E.

